on the day the Lord saved him etc.: When he became old and all his troubles had already passed over him and he was saved from them.

and from the hand of Saul: Was not Saul included? But [he is mentioned specifically] because he was the harshest to him and pursued him more than all of them. Similarly, you say (in Josh. 2: 1): “see the land and Jericho.”

my rock: For You saved me at the Rock of the Divisions (I Sam. 23:28), when I was trapped between Saul and his men, to be caught, as it is stated (in I Sam. 23:26): “but Saul and his men were encircling to David and his men etc.”

I will take refuge in Him: I will take shelter in His shade, as the matter is stated (in Job 24:8): “and without shelter (מחסה) they embrace the rocks,” because the rocks are a shelter and a shield for the travelers from the winds and from the downpour of rains.

With praise I call to the lord: With praises I call Him and pray before Him constantly, i.e., even before the salvation I praise Him, because I am confident that I will be saved from my enemies.

5Bands of death have encompassed me, and streams of scoundrels would affright me.

האֲפָפ֥וּנִי חֶבְלֵי־מָ֑וֶת וְנַֽחֲלֵ֖י בְלִיַּ֣עַל יְבַֽעֲתֽוּנִי:

Bands of death have encompassed me: On many occasions wicked men have surrounded me. אפפוני is like סבבוני. Similarly (below 40: 13), “For countless evils… have encompassed (אפפו) me.”

Bands of death: Heb. חבלי, camps of enemies, as (in I Sam. 10:5): “a band (חבל) of prophets.” But Jonathan renders: as a woman who sits on a birthstool, an expression of the pangs (חבלי) of a woman in confinement.

and streams of scoundrels: That too is an expression of troops that flood like a stream.

6Bands of the nether world have surrounded me; the snares of death confronted me.

וחֶבְלֵ֣י שְׁא֣וֹל סְבָב֑וּנִי קִ֜דְּמ֗וּנִי מ֣וֹקְשֵׁי מָֽוֶת:

Bands of the nether world: Like “bands of death,” camps of wicked men, and I - what did I do?

7When I am in distress, I call upon the Lord; yes, I cry out to my God; out of His temple He hears my voice, and my cry comes before Him in His ears.

The earth shook and quaked: This is not connected to the preceding verse, but its beginning is connected to its end; i.e., when He was angered, the earth shook and quaked. [The word] כי is used as an expression of “when.” When He was angered and came to wreak the vengeance of His people, His servants, on Pharaoh and his people, the earth shook and quaked.

9Smoke went up in His nostrils, and fire out of His mouth did devour; coals flamed forth from Him.

Smoke went up in His nostrils: (En ses nariles in Old French, in his nostrils.) So is the custom of every anger, to cause smoke to ascend from his nostrils.

10And He bent the heavens, and He came down, and thick darkness was under His feet.

יוַיֵּ֣ט שָׁ֖מַיִם וַיֵּרַ֑ד וַֽ֜עֲרָפֶ֗ל תַּ֣חַת רַגְלָֽיו:

And He bent the heavens, and He came down: to pass through the land of Egypt. “He came down” is to be understood in its simple meaning. Another explanation is “i atonvit” in Old French, to flatten, as (in Exod. 39:3), and the radical is רדד.

11And He rode on a cherub and did fly; He swooped on the wings of the wind.

the darkness of waters: that are in the thick clouds of the skies are the darkness that is about Him. Lest you say that within the darkness there is no light, Scripture tells us: From the brightness before Him, and from within His partition, His thick clouds that are about Him are split, and hail and coals of fire pass through them.

13From the brightness before Him, His thick cloud passed, hail and coals of fire.

יגמִנֹּ֗גַהּ נֶגְדּ֥וֹ עָבָ֥יו עָבְר֑וּ בָּ֜רָ֗ד וְגַֽחֲלֵי־אֵֽשׁ:

passed: Heb. עברו, trepasant in Old French, passed. The hail split and passes through onto the Egyptians at the Sea of Reeds.

14The Lord thundered from Heaven; and the Most High gave forth His voice with hail and coals of fire.

19They confronted me on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was a support to me.

יטיְקַדְּמֽוּנִי בְּי֣וֹם אֵידִ֑י וַיְהִ֥י יְהֹוָ֗ה לְמִשְׁעָ֥ן לִֽי:

They confronted me: My enemies would hasten and attack me early on the day of my calamity, but the Lord was, etc.

20And He brought me forth into a wide space; He delivered me because He took delight in me.

כוַיּֽוֹצִיאֵ֥נִי לַמֶּרְחָ֑ב יְ֜חַלְּצֵ֗נִי כִּ֘י חָ֥פֵֽץ בִּֽי:

21The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands He recompensed me.

כאיִגְמְלֵ֣נִי יְהֹוָ֣ה כְּצִדְקִ֑י כְּבֹ֥ר יָ֜דַ֗י יָשִׁ֥יב לִֽי:

according to my righteousness: According to the righteousness of my following Him in the desert.

according to the cleanness: Heb. כבד, an expression of cleanness, as (below 24:4), “and pure of heart.” Another explanation: He sent forth from on high [and] He took me. [David] said this about himself, concerning the angel who came to the Rock of the Divisions (I Sam. 23:27) to turn Saul away from him, as it is stated: “And an angel came to Saul, etc.”

according to my righteousness: that I did not slay him when I sliced off the skirt of his coat. [Obviously, Rashi explains verses 8- 17 as referring to Israel’s departure from Egypt. Only in verse 17 does he suggest the explanation that David refers to his own experiences.]

22For I have kept the ways of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from [the commandments of] my God.

and by my God I scale a wall: When he came to wage war against Jebus, and he said (in I Chron. 11:6): “Whoever smites the Jebusites, etc. shall be a leader and a prince.” Joab brought a green juniper tree, bent it over, suspended himself on it, and scaled the wall. Said David (in Ps. 141:5): “May a righteous man smite me with loving-kindness,” and the Holy one, blessed be He, lowered the wall, and he scaled it (Mid. Ps. 18:24).

31[He is] the God Whose way is perfect; the word of the Lord is refined; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

so that a copper bow is bent by my arms: Heb. ונחתה, an expression of treading the bow, as (below 38:3): “Your arrows were driven (נחתו) into me.” Its radical [or its active voice] is נחת. When it is used in the passive voice, a dagesh comes and causes the “nun” to drop out. Hence נחתה is derived from ננחתה as (below 69:4): “My throat is dried (נחר),” derived from ננחר as (in Jer. 6:29): “The bellows is heated (נחר) ”; נדף, rattling (in Lev. 26:36) is derived from ננדף;“My eyes stream (נגרה)” (in Lam. 3:49), is like ננגרה;“was given (נתנה)” (Gen. 38:14) is like ננתנה;“they were smitten (נגף)” (II Sam. 10: 15) is derived from ננגף. We cannot interpret it as being of the radical חתת, for then it would say נחתתה, as [it says] נעשתה, was done, from עשה; נענתה, was answered, from ענה. Another explanation: and a copper bow is bent by my arms: חית is an expression of treading a bow, as (below 38:3): “Your arrows were driven (נחתו).” The “nun” is not of the radical but it is like נחלו“gave for inheritance” (in Jos. 14:1), and the copper bow was bent by my arms. Copper bows were hanging in David’s house. The kings of the nations would see them and say to each other, “Do you think that David has the strength to bend them? This is only to frighten us.” But he would hear [them] and bend the bows before them.

36You have given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has supported me, and You have treated me with great humility.

shall wither: Heb. יבלו. They shall become weary, as (in Exod. 18:18): “you shall surely wither (נבל תבל) ,” which the Targum renders: you shall surely weary. Menachem (Machbereth p. 45) explains it as (in Gen. 18: 12): “after I have become old (בלתי),” and he explained נבל תבל in the same manner.

their imprisonments: Because of the tortures of the imprisonments in the dungeon where I imprison them and where they torture them. Menachem (p. 94) interprets it as an expression of loosening the girdle, and so he explains it: and they will be loosened of their girdles [meaning they will be frightened or weakened]. Dunash interprets ויחגרו ממסגרותיהם, and they will be lamed from their shackles, which are placed on their feet. The meaning of ויחגרו is: they will become lame, as the Aramaic for a lame person is חגר.

47The Lord lives, and blessed be my Rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation.

and destroys: Heb. וידבר, and He slew, an expression of דבר, pestilence. Another explanation: as (in Exod. 3:1): “and he led (וינהג),” which is translated into Aramaic as וּדְבַר. Menachem (p. 61) too associated it in this manner. Likewise, he associated (below 47:4), “He leads (יַדְבֵּר) peoples under us.”

instead of me: Heb. תחתי, in my place and in my stead, as the matter is stated (in Isa. 43:4): “and I give men in your stead (תחתיך) , (verse 3),” I have given Egypt as your ransom. [Cush and Seba in your stead (תחתיך)]."

49Who delivers me from my enemies; even above those that rise against me You have lifted me; from the violent man You deliver me.